The three-wheeled Can Am Spyder's done well by porting the jet ski experience to the roadway. Now the company's working on a plug-in hybrid version they say will match the Rotax 998cc V-Twin powered model. Green triangulation anyone?

Canada's Bombardier Recreational Products' (BRP)—aka da bomb—which also makes Sea-Doo watercraft, says their hybridized Can-Am Spyder hybrid will cut fuel consumption and emissions both by 50 percent, but keep the don't-call-it-a-trike's performance profile intact. Developers are aiming for a range of 375 miles, 20 of which will be in electric mode.

Why the sudden interest in going hybrid? It's a little, non-profit R&D partnership between BRP and the Université de Sherbrooke (UdeS) to develop motorized recreational products, which will pull in $6.2 million from the Automotive Partnership Canada program, along with $5.1 million in funding from BRP. Will Quebec become as a hothouse for hybrid electric vehicle technology? Perhaps. As the Quebecois say, Grosse Corvette, petite quéquette.